The Master of Science in Biology is a thesis-track academic graduate program offered by the Department of Biology, School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University. The program provides students with advanced knowledge, skills and competencies in the biological or life sciences. It contains a substantial research component that is informed by state-of-the-art investigations.
The M.Sc. Biology program addresses the needs of society for individuals equipped with advanced understanding and skills in carrying out scientific investigations that involve biological or life sciences. It provides the country’s demands for lifelong learners with a substantial degree of independence and self-directed scientific research, and who will contribute to national development through innovations and mentorship of younger generations.
The graduates of the M.Sc. Biology program are prepared for an academic career or work in industry or government agencies that require expertise in the biological or life sciences. Moreover, graduates may opt to pursue further studies such as doctoral programs in related fields. Examples of work in industry are research and development personnel, quality control officers, sales and marketing workforce, and owners of the businesses themselves. Graduates of the M.Sc. Biology program may also enter the field of science communication, which explains scientific concepts to the greater public.
Complemented by highly qualified faculty members who are experts in their own field, the M.Sc. Biology program offers the students a unique skill set that is guided by the Ignatian core values, creating men and women for and with others. The alignment of the program with the overall vision and mission of the School of Science and Engineering, and the Department of Biology, puts emphasis on the attainment of protection of Biodiversity for Medicine and Environment (BioME).
Doctor of Philosophy in Biology(Ph.D. Biology)
The Ph.D. Biology is an advanced graduate biology program that focuses on modern advances in the different branches of Biology. The program covers the pertinent aspects of biology across organization levels (genetic, species, and ecosystem) with an optional track course in biodiversity. It entails a comprehensive study of the field through the allied disciplines in the life sciences: genetics and molecular biology, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, taxonomy and systematics, evolution, and ecology, among others. Most courses in the program are research-oriented and some have a service-learning component. The main goal of the program is to form responsible, critical, and independent-thinking leaders who are dedicated to serving the environment and society through their knowledge and practical research skills, and innovations in biology.
Objectives:
The Ph.D. Biology program aims to:
provide the premier training in biology and the allied disciplines in the life sciences in the country;
initiate and further the growth of biological research in the country; and
produce professionals and leaders in research, academe, government, private industry, and non-government organizations with a strong Ignatian ideal of being of service to others.
Rationale:
At its very core, the field of biology is interdisciplinary. The common approach in advanced graduate biology programs is an integration of several fields like genetics and molecular biology, biochemistry, and physiology, microbiology and biomedicine, taxonomy, systematics and biodiversity, and evolution and ecology, among others. The Ph.D. Biology program is thus efficient, significant, and timely. In the last few decades, the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or its equivalent has become an increasingly important mark of an individual's academic research achievements and qualifications, not only for academic teaching and research but also for positions in private industry, government, and non-government organizations. An established Ph.D. program is also a University's venue for producing globally impacting home-based research output and forming local and international linkages. Therefore, Ph.D. programs are an important determinant of the success of the University's mission of fostering leadership and advancing academic excellence.
The Department of Biology celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, and through those five decades, it has produced over 1,300 undergraduate and graduate alumni. The level of excellence shown by our undergraduate (Bachelor of Science in Biology (BS Biology) and Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences (BS Life Sciences) and graduate (Master of Science in Biology (MSc Biology), Master of Biology (MBiology), Master in Biology Education (MBiEd) programs, and by our alumni, has not been reflected in the creation of a Departmental Ph.D. program. On top of such a program being a prerequisite for awarding a CHED Center of Excellence for Biology, the alumni of the Department is a captive audience for it, particularly the M.Sc. students and undergraduates who do not wish to pursue a medical degree. Graduates of other courses in the University who are inclined toward the environment and biology may also be motivated to pursue a career in research by the introduction of this Ph.D. program.
The graduate program aims to instill in its graduates the necessary impulses to be a catalyst for change toward stewardship of the Earth and its biological resources, as these resources are renewable only so long as they are, used sustainably, and are not overexploited. This is very much in keeping with the University's tripartite thrusts of Mission and Identity; Nation Building; and Environment and Development.
The Department of Biology firmly believes that the Ph.D. Biology program ultimately serves as a major catalyst for change in the way the biological sciences and their applications in society are appreciated and concretized.
